LaraLoves Peanut Butter

At this very second I am licking peanut butter off my finger and trying not to get it all over my keyboard.  I love the sticky, smooth, salty, sweetness of it. Having recently thrown myself with full force into eating more healthily, peanut butter is the one indulgence that I feel increasly guiltless about. You see; peanut butter (and various other delicious nut butters) are good for you! Peanut butter was invented in 1890 as a meat protein substitute and rightly so; a 2-tablespoon serving of peanut butter contains 7 grams of muscle repairing protein! It contains the same ratio of saturated to unsaturated fats as olive oil and its a source of iron, potassium and dietry fibre.

However, not all peanut butters are created equal. Check the label of your peanut butter and you are likely to see a host of ingredients other than the peanut; sugars, sweeteners, oils etc. These are not good for you. Do not be fooled by the following sneaky wolves in sheeps clothing;  Dextrose, Maltodextrin, molasses and palm oil; they are all sugar! Also don't bother buying reduced fat varieties of peanut butter- the fat in peanuts is good for you- and the retailer is likely to have added sugar to make up for the missing fat. I checked Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda own brands as well as Skippy, Sunpat and Whole Earth brands and found added sugar or one of the above mention nasties added to all of them.

So; the award for best supermarket peanut butter goes to;

Tesco wholenut peanut butter £1.34 contains 91% peanuts some vegtable oil and peanut oil and a little salt. 3.3g of sugar per 100g- not bad!

Obviously, most of the people reading this will not give a monkey (nut) about the average 6g of sugar (per 100g) found in peanut butters.. but when you eat it as often as I do.. it adds up. You can always buy peanuts and chuck them in a blender.

Here's some of my favourite, some unconventional things to do with peanut butter;

1. Apple crudite with peanut butter dip

2. Bannanna or blueberry peanut butter protein shake

(Milk or almond milk, frozen or fresh bannanna or blueberries, protein powder, flaxseed powder, cinnamon and a good tablespoon of peanut butter- blend and enjoy)

3. Civilised Caveman's Wheat free, sugar free bannana bread (the man is a genius)

Essentially just 4 bananas, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup nut butter, 4 tablespoons butter, coconut flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and vanilla essence.

4. Peanut butter, bannana and cinnamon omlet

My amazing nutritionist friend Lindsay introduced me to the idea of sweet omlets.. amazing.


5. Peanut butter spoon.



Brad and PB.. dream. 

LaraLoves Training

#Lifelong

From being young I have Loved to run. When I was tiny my parents owned a Hotel and the maids used to call me the exocet missile because I spent so much time bombing up and down the corridors. Whilst at school my PE teacher used to make me run with the boys... I could run 100m in 12s flat. I'd hate to race my 16yr old self.. as I'd undoubtedly loose.

These days I mostly run for #Love.. and as therapy. If i've had a bad day i'll throw on my favourite kit, lace up my trainers and step out into the fresh air, free to run as fast and as far as my legs will take me. Admittedly when you first start running it's hell. The hardest step is the first one out of the front door. You're exhausted; lungs burning, sweating, dead legs, brain telling you to slow down, stop! And some days its still like that. I'm well aware the runners high often comes from stopping... rather than the run itself. Mostly though it is pure bliss. Nothing but the thud of your feet and your own thoughts... whirling past people, places; problems melting away.

Dean Karnazes, a fellow Greek, puts it perfectly; "I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run…to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.” If youre ever in need of some inspiration I reccommend you read his book RUN.

For me, one of the best things about sport is STASH. I have draws full of hoodies, Ts etc from hockey, netball, basketball, snowsports and running. I just love the way cool kit makes you feel.. ready for the world. Recently big sports retailers have developed kit that is for us ladies, more colourful, better fitting, flattering and well, fun. Two of my personal favourites are Nike and Sweaty Betty. Its almost spring(?!?!) and the word for 2013 is colour! Here are some of my picks;

These are all from Nike's s/s 13 lookbook.

Bodyism, one of London's top gyms loved by the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Elle (the Body) Macpherson have also recently launched a workout collection. It also has a lot of prints and colour but is fairly expensive. Many highstreet retailers are now doing sportwear collections. H&M's sportswear collection is very affordable. Its fairly new to the market and I havnt tried any of it in terms of performance, but theres some nice pieces. Gap has also recently done a range with lots of comfy yoga /cool down wear. I even saw sports kit in Primarks windows this weekend!

The New Year New You bonanza is upon us. the world of technology makes it ever easeier to track goals and get advice. Most of the runners I know have Garmins, they are an invaluble piece of kit if you're serious about your training, splits/ miles/inclines etc. Here are a couple of cheaper nutrition/ training apps I have tried and would reccommend....

Nike Training Club is great for when you can't be bothered to write up a workout. You can choose from the four catagories; lean, toned, strong or focused and then choose the length of workout you want to do and whether you're begginner intermediate or advanced. Then just hit do workout and the voiceover will tell you what to do. You can set a playlist to play in the background and there are video clips of the various exercised so you use good technique. It gives you tips on posture and encouragement when the going gets tough. There are even reward badges as you use it more often; set workouts from olympic athletes and famous personal trainers and recovery drink recipes etc.

Map My Run is runner specific but I also use it for road cycling. You can either map a route and then follow it, or just turn on the GPS and go and it will track your route/speed inclines etc as you go. Great if you need to cover certain mileage.

Primal Paleo (69p from the App Store) is an amazing database of clean foods and recipes for primal eaters (primal eating is eating as a hunter gatherer, no wheat/cereal produce or sugar (except from fresh fruit) and limited dairy produce). I have to say that eating like this 80% of the time (always allow a cheat day) has made me leaner and healthier with bags more energy!

Good luck to everyone going back to training routines after Christmas, or starting a new one for 2013! Stick at it! I have several friends who are personal trainers/ nutritionists/sports therapists who can give tailored specialst advice should anyone want it.

LaraLoves... a fresh start

So its a new year and this calls for a new blog. LaraLoves is going to be a record of all the things that make me go gooey eyed in 2013... I'd like to keep a tab on how flaky I can be so I will review my loves at later dates and see if my love was a #lust or a #lifelong... theres the odd #LoveHate in here too.

A little about me... I am a Reading Uni Law grad. I love fashion, sports, baking, travel, film and peanut butter.

For this first post im going to do a  retrospect on my faves of 2012.. it was a big year and 2013 has a lot to live up to... here goes..

#Lifelong

OK so I dont actually own a Kitchen Aid. Sob. But I do have an ancient adorable Kenwood with a marble bowl. It is the means by which my baking dreams become a reality. This #Lifelong isnt so much about the mixer but about my lifelong love of all the things you can create with the mixer! In 2012 baking became HUGE.. no longer the hobby of the stay at home mum, now the past time of trendies everywhere, from Karlie Kloss and her Kookies to Mary Berry and her Zara jacket... More on baking later...

#Lust

I dont know if this Love is going to stand the test of time (although I have loved these since last January and still going strong) and some of my nearest and dearest hate them, but j'adore wedge high tops. I have the above two pairs.. no I couldn't afford the Isabelle Marant beauties. I think this will continue to be a Love until Primarni start making them out of plastic and they join the Jack Wills/Hollister/Superdry fodder pile... ooop too late....

#Lifelong

No not Frank... (although he is the man and his voice is like velvet.. do one Buble).... more his hat. I think this love stems from my dad who has more Fedoras than the man himself. I Love a hat.. increasingly so do celebs... and I'm going to say this now- its going to be huge for 2013...

#LoveHate

Ah the macaron.. the colours, the flavours, the PRICE!!! £2.50 a cookie?! Laduree is killing me. These are my Love and my nemisis.. I have tried over and again to make these.. do they come out with shiny tops and crinkley feet.. do they hell..... and finally.....

#Lifelong

FURRRRRR! Listen, I Love animals but I love the way they can make a Zara coat look like a Moncler more....also, I am about as pro fake fur as those hippies outside Harrods are about the real deal.. and before you all report me to them and throw ketchup at your computer screen.. synthetics are made from petroleum by-products, they dont biodegrade - damaging the environment and they're no where near as shiny!